1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the dissemination of information and, more particularly, to novel automated touring information systems and methods for automatically disseminating information about specific locations.
2. The Background Art
More and more people are traveling today. The world is growing vastly smaller because of the many modes of transportation available. Travelers enjoy using many forms of transportation. They are visiting national parks, historic places, museums, and the like, in record numbers. Currently, there are several different ways that travelers may receive information regarding each site that they visit. However, as will be pointed out, current methods of providing information to travelers have several disadvantages.
Some travelers simply rely on their own knowledge to determine what locations are of significance. In these scenarios, many important sites may be missed. As an example, many people who travel long distances often experience boredom because they are oblivious to locations of geologic significance or historical interest, or they are unable to pinpoint related information on maps or in resource books. As a result, they often do not stop at interesting historical landmarks, and they miss significant information about the areas they pass through.
Some touring companies have put together predefined tours so that those taking the tour do not have to be aware of the important sites because the touring company will identify most of the important sites. Some of these tours may use busses, while others may use other types of travel. Those who travel with a bus tour stop at only those places predefined by the touring company. Furthermore, these scheduled tours generally follow a time schedule made by the touring company. Because the tours are set for predefined places and predefined times, they are rather inflexible relative to a particular traveler""s needs. In addition, those who travel by aircraft have the added problem of being re-routed to avoid storms or other flight-related delays. This re-routing usually disorients passengers so they do not know what landmark, or even which state, they are flying above.
Many museums give walking tours to visitors. People visiting museums or other large venues are usually required to follow a predefined path through exhibits on display at a predefined pace. However, most people""s time is limited, and they would like to see particular types of displays at their own pace rather than follow a set presentation of all exhibits. Other people are simply adverse to large crowds and do not enjoy wandering in groups from exhibit to exhibit listening to a curator or tour guide.
To help solve some of the problems discussed above, others have developed devices or compiled books to help the traveler and information-seeker. One example of these devices is a road map (Rand McNally). But many of the current road maps do not point out or define historical landmarks or geological information. As travelers use road maps, many important or interesting features are missed and routes of scenic or historical significance are bypassed. Similarly, when travelers use a travel book or highway travel guide (i.e., National Geographic""s xe2x80x9cHistorical Places of the U.S.xe2x80x9d or Reader""s Digest""s xe2x80x9cSee the USA The Easy Wayxe2x80x9d) the tourist is required to be at least somewhat familiar with the area they are traveling through. Additionally, many of these books or guides rely on highway mileage markers to indicate the area of interest found in their pages. This can cause problems: if the traveler is driving alone while simultaneously trying to follow the guide, he or she runs the risk of having an accident while watching for the next mileage marker or site and reading the relative information in the book.
Another common touring device is the basic audio tape or CD player as used by xe2x80x9cAcoustiguidexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cTour Guidexe2x80x9d. Both use audio devices that are listened to, but still require the user to interact with the device while driving. One disadvantage of these devices includes the user""s ability to access the proper tape locations for specific mileage markers or sites. Another problem is the limitation of having a predefined route. The CD player helps alleviate some of this concern by having travelers select the track number that corresponds to the map""s mileage marker or travel book site it location, but the problem still arises when the person operating the CD player must look to printed source material for the proper site, mileage marker or location to activate the device.
A tape player and digital device, such as xe2x80x9cAcoustiguidexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cInformxe2x80x9d, are already used in many museums and attractions, but the main drawback of these types of devices is that visitors must follow a preset path through the displays. This causes bottlenecks around the most popular exhibits. Although these audio devices allow the user to fast forward and rewind the tape, trying to find the correct location on the tape can be tiresome and frustrating. Finding the correct location on the tape may be especially frustrating if you are touring the exhibit or site with a group, friends, or family members., and even more so for foreign visitors who have difficulty understanding the English language. Another disadvantage of the tape player is its limitation in allowing visitors to attend only preferred exhibits or sites. The digital device can solve some of these problems by allowing users to move to sites of choice, but the user must still know what track to play when he or she arrives at the specific exhibit or site.
Another common device used at museums, exhibits and attractions is a kiosk. This device is usually a multimedia computer that has been pre-programmed with information about displays or sites that can be seen in the area. Although this device will display information on command, it is only placed in the locations where the most users can view its contents. A significant drawback of the kiosk is that usually only one person at a time can operate it, thus creating an information is bottleneck. If several kiosks are installed to allow more people access to the information, the cost is very prohibitive. Another drawback of the kiosk is that the kiosk usually requires special equipment to be brought to the particular kiosk to update or change the information contained therein. Therefore, the information to be disseminated is not easily changed.
Another method of dispensing information is the (human) tour guide. The use of a tour guide can be preferable in some ways by adding a personal touch to the information conveyed. But this can also become a disadvantage if the person taking the tour only wants to see certain sites, or when the information presented varies according to the tour guide""s persuasion or visitor response. Many tour busses have drivers that also act as tour guides for economical reasons. But this can be dangerous in some situations as it distracts the driver""s attention from driving safely. Scenic aircraft pilots also, when occasion permits, are expected to describe large landmarks below that can be seen from one side of the plane or the other. Fatal plane crashes have resulted from a pilot""s distraction from the main job of flying the plane.
As illustrated by the number of methods and devices relating to disseminating information related to specific locations, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to develop devices capable of dispensing information relating to specific locations that overcome the many disadvantages of the foregoing devices and methods. In this regard, the present invention provides for novel automated touring information systems and methods that overcome several deficiencies of the foregoing systems and methods.
In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide novel automated touring information systems and methods that automatically disseminate various forms of information to those who travel.
It is also an object of the present invention to relieve users of having to rely on their own knowledge to identify significant sites.
Further, it is an object to allow travelers a flexible schedule in touring points of interest whereby they are not bound by preset routes and time schedules.
Another object of this invention is to free a user from inconvenient monitoring, reading, and navigating of touring devices and/or information while touring sites of interest.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a user the flexibility of touring sites of interest at an arbitrary pace and by an arbitrary route without creating information bottlenecks.
Consistent with the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, an apparatus for automatically disseminating information corresponding to a location comprises a location identification device for providing a current location, a presentation device for presenting the information to a user, a controller operably connected to control the presentation device, and a storage device operably connected to the controller for storing the information and predefined location data linking the location to the information. In one embodiment, the controller may comprise a processor programmed to receive the current location from the location identification device and compare the current location with the predefined location data. The apparatus may further include a memory device containing data structures comprising the current location data corresponding to a current location, the predefined location data, a comparison module for reading the current location data and comparing the current location data with the predefined location data, and a presentation module for controlling the output of the information to the presentation device from the storage device.
In operation, the information and predefined location data are stored in the storage device before the apparatus for automatically disseminating information is used. In use, the processor receives the current location from the location identification device and compares the current location with the predefined location data to provide a proximity comparison. The proximity comparison reflects whether the apparatus is located proximate the site or location of significance. When the proximity comparison reflects that the apparatus is proximate, the controller initiates the output of the information from the storage device to the presentation device.